LS400 Starter Replacement - a story by BDR
02-06-06, 06:48 AM
#46
I actually have a 92 engine in the car. but thanx, as i was gonna buy a set of manuals of eBay. I'll be doing much more as the weather permits.
FYI, this job may have seemed long and drawn out but i could have honestly finished this in a day. I just chose NOT to. I have a few other cars I can use during the week. I worked on the LS400 in my spare time and hour or so at a time.
Took me about 45 min to remove injectors and another hour to replace. so its not as tought as you think.
Good luck guys.
FYI, this job may have seemed long and drawn out but i could have honestly finished this in a day. I just chose NOT to. I have a few other cars I can use during the week. I worked on the LS400 in my spare time and hour or so at a time.
Took me about 45 min to remove injectors and another hour to replace. so its not as tought as you think.
Good luck guys.
02-06-06, 07:03 AM
#47
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I downgrade 550 cc injectors to 460 cc injectors in 30 minutes three nights ago. This is commonly takes about 2 hours for 99% of the shops. Most shop take out the intakes... which is not neccesary at all.
All you need is to uninstall the throttle body and loosen the four 12 mm bolts that hold down the fuel rails. You also need to loosen the 4 17 mm bolts where the cross fuel rail are connected. Remember loosen but not full taking them out. That way its much easier to re-install them back again. Just left the fuel rails up to about 1" and you can slide out the injectors one at a time. I would say for an average person this will take about 45 minutes. Its very simple... and lots of shops charge you all the time for taking the intakes.
All you need is to uninstall the throttle body and loosen the four 12 mm bolts that hold down the fuel rails. You also need to loosen the 4 17 mm bolts where the cross fuel rail are connected. Remember loosen but not full taking them out. That way its much easier to re-install them back again. Just left the fuel rails up to about 1" and you can slide out the injectors one at a time. I would say for an average person this will take about 45 minutes. Its very simple... and lots of shops charge you all the time for taking the intakes.
02-09-06, 09:42 AM
#48
Originally Posted by molex
Good for you, Diddy, you finally finish the job.
If your next job on this car needs any inofrmation, let me know, I have the whole service manual, including electrical schematic diagram, mechanical specs, diagnostic methods, error codes and so on. However, mine is a 1992 LS400, but I imagine models from 1990 to 1994 are similar.
I believe it is human nature, when it comes to expensive cars, people can put up with this kind of repair, me included.
If your next job on this car needs any inofrmation, let me know, I have the whole service manual, including electrical schematic diagram, mechanical specs, diagnostic methods, error codes and so on. However, mine is a 1992 LS400, but I imagine models from 1990 to 1994 are similar.
I believe it is human nature, when it comes to expensive cars, people can put up with this kind of repair, me included.
Molex, I could use some documentation on the PSteering pump ***'y I have this slow leak and I think its due to IACV on the pump itself. Im thinkin if its easy to remove this valve and plug the hole or just swap to an SC400 PS pump and bypass this IACV system altogether?
04-11-06, 02:09 AM
#49
I guess it was somewhat easier to do the job on my 98. I removed the upper and lower manifolds, with the fuel rails, and injectors on them untoched. Not to mention, I didnt have to deal with any EGR pipes. The Starter bolts took less then 4 minutes to take out, no joke.
However, I’m waiting on parts still, and its been a while, and the LS has been parked sideways in the garage for sometime to give me ample room to work.... but hey, the LS gets priority.
I cleaned my intake manifold with carb cleaner, and you have no idea how much dirt came out... however, I’m not sure how to clean the carbon in the intake openings of the heads. Don’t want the dirt, and grime to fall down there... kinda defeats the purpose of cleaning it. Any suggestions?
Also, can I use water to rinse the upper and lower intake manifolds (like stick a hose in there)? (they are in one piece right now, with the injectors, and fuel rail and all.)
However, I’m waiting on parts still, and its been a while, and the LS has been parked sideways in the garage for sometime to give me ample room to work.... but hey, the LS gets priority.
I cleaned my intake manifold with carb cleaner, and you have no idea how much dirt came out... however, I’m not sure how to clean the carbon in the intake openings of the heads. Don’t want the dirt, and grime to fall down there... kinda defeats the purpose of cleaning it. Any suggestions?
Also, can I use water to rinse the upper and lower intake manifolds (like stick a hose in there)? (they are in one piece right now, with the injectors, and fuel rail and all.)
07-12-06, 04:25 PM
#50
my two cents on this swap.
at first i read it would not be necessary to split the upper and lower intake. this is impossible because of the wiring harness that goes between the intake halves which is bolted down. to the intake. no way around it.
i did not touch the fuel rails, i disconnected the banjo connector on the pass side and the FPR on the dr side, it was pretty straight forward.
i did not reconnect those god damn coolant lines going through the throttle body. I put a rubber cap on the throttle body where the valvecover vents and a small breather filter over the valve cover side, neither are really necessary and made the throttle body a ***** to remove and install. i used a piece of high pressure reinforced fuel line to bridge the feed and return line for the throttlebody.
I did think about capping off the TB coolant lines but considering the complexiity of the various coolant lines i didnt think it was wise, not to mention those little caps love to fail on me and i idd not want to be stuck somewhere with a 3/8" hole in my cooling system.
it is very crude, but it works. that plastic bridge over the coolant bridge? make sure every nut you can see is removed and just pull up on it. there is some dumb *** clip on the back of one of the heads that is completely un necessary considering how tight the wiring harness hugs the motor that will bend/break giving you about 3-4 inches of travel. it is a god send.
to remove tthe starter bolts i used a gear wrench. you know those ratcheting box end wrenches? simple. oh, and my fingers.
before i reinstalled the bolts i used a dremel and cut a slot in the end of each so that i could simply start the botls by hand then use a long skinny screwdriver to take all the slack out. reinstalling the bolts will take 30 seconds total and god forbid i ever have to do this crap again, removal will be much quicker as well.
i also chose not to bother with trying to entirely bolt the harness back down to the coolant bridge as it was a pain in the *** in the first place, and, honestly, that harness is not going anywhere. it lays down onto the studs and i really dont think two nuts are necessary, one will suffice.
of course all of the injector clips except two snapped so for a precaution i actually used small zip ties to ziptie the connector to the injector so i would not have any worries about a loose connection.
i had no leaks and still have none after putting everything back together.
most bolts i used loctite on as i did not want anything coming loose, and i noticed most of them had some factory threadlock on them.
i used a star pattern to bolt the intake down as a precaution though i'm not sure if it was necessary.
i would like to go back and replace a few vacuum hoses with silicone but nothing except the one on the front of the intake that goes down to the PS pump, the VC breather, and the PCV valve had any problems so i figure i'll do it later.
at first i read it would not be necessary to split the upper and lower intake. this is impossible because of the wiring harness that goes between the intake halves which is bolted down. to the intake. no way around it.
i did not touch the fuel rails, i disconnected the banjo connector on the pass side and the FPR on the dr side, it was pretty straight forward.
i did not reconnect those god damn coolant lines going through the throttle body. I put a rubber cap on the throttle body where the valvecover vents and a small breather filter over the valve cover side, neither are really necessary and made the throttle body a ***** to remove and install. i used a piece of high pressure reinforced fuel line to bridge the feed and return line for the throttlebody.
I did think about capping off the TB coolant lines but considering the complexiity of the various coolant lines i didnt think it was wise, not to mention those little caps love to fail on me and i idd not want to be stuck somewhere with a 3/8" hole in my cooling system.
it is very crude, but it works. that plastic bridge over the coolant bridge? make sure every nut you can see is removed and just pull up on it. there is some dumb *** clip on the back of one of the heads that is completely un necessary considering how tight the wiring harness hugs the motor that will bend/break giving you about 3-4 inches of travel. it is a god send.
to remove tthe starter bolts i used a gear wrench. you know those ratcheting box end wrenches? simple. oh, and my fingers.
before i reinstalled the bolts i used a dremel and cut a slot in the end of each so that i could simply start the botls by hand then use a long skinny screwdriver to take all the slack out. reinstalling the bolts will take 30 seconds total and god forbid i ever have to do this crap again, removal will be much quicker as well.
i also chose not to bother with trying to entirely bolt the harness back down to the coolant bridge as it was a pain in the *** in the first place, and, honestly, that harness is not going anywhere. it lays down onto the studs and i really dont think two nuts are necessary, one will suffice.
of course all of the injector clips except two snapped so for a precaution i actually used small zip ties to ziptie the connector to the injector so i would not have any worries about a loose connection.
i had no leaks and still have none after putting everything back together.
most bolts i used loctite on as i did not want anything coming loose, and i noticed most of them had some factory threadlock on them.
i used a star pattern to bolt the intake down as a precaution though i'm not sure if it was necessary.
i would like to go back and replace a few vacuum hoses with silicone but nothing except the one on the front of the intake that goes down to the PS pump, the VC breather, and the PCV valve had any problems so i figure i'll do it later.
07-12-06, 08:06 PM
#51
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Lexus design
It seems to me that "smart design" usually means making sure that the manufacturers and dealers keep making money after the car is sold! I guess for DIYers like us, the inaccessability of maintainance components like starter motors in the LS is not smart 9actually difficult as this thread shows) because we don't always want to through heaps of 
money at the st(d)ealers!!!
money at the st(d)ealers!!!
08-09-06, 08:39 AM
#52
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Sweeeet
Thanks for the advice. I had already used the gear wrench to remove the driver side bolt on the starter. What remains is the passenger side, but the EGR pipe prevents me from getting either the open or closed end of the wrench over the head of the bolt.
The advice is comforting and I got the link for this thread from JustAnswer.com. I like the idea to dremel the end of the bolt so that I can use a screwdriver on the bolt to tighten and loosen in the future. I wish I knew enough to have left the fuel injector rods alone. My driveway is now covered in gas (the heat in Florida is drawing the gas out. There is a pool in the V-block of the engine now
Is the removal of the EGR pipe straightforward? If som can you share it with me? Is it wise to bend the EGR pipe out of the way?
-Ricardo
The advice is comforting and I got the link for this thread from JustAnswer.com. I like the idea to dremel the end of the bolt so that I can use a screwdriver on the bolt to tighten and loosen in the future. I wish I knew enough to have left the fuel injector rods alone. My driveway is now covered in gas (the heat in Florida is drawing the gas out. There is a pool in the V-block of the engine now
Is the removal of the EGR pipe straightforward? If som can you share it with me? Is it wise to bend the EGR pipe out of the way?
-Ricardo
10-27-10, 10:06 PM
#54
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URETHRA!!!!!!!!! Starter was delivered and is in!
Total install Time for actual starter: 10min!
Funny thing is bolting the starter back up was easier than taking it out. The two 14mm bolts threaded into starter much easier than I imagined. the driver side bolt i was able to thread all the way in by hand.
The pass side bolt under the EGR pipe was was pain as i had to use an open end 14mm wrench and give it 1/6" of a turns and by steadily flipping wrench around to get good angles for movement.
As you can see a Craftsman 14mm Open end 14mm wrench fit on the bolts nice and easy.
that fancy schmansy snap-on speed ratchet thing I paid $18 for makes a nice paperweight now.
I rewrapped the wires in a new plastic Wire loom and then tightly taped it several layers thick with good 3M electrical tape. I hope that will keep the heat out. I think if i can find some Cool-Tape locally I'll rewrap the loom. although there should be ample room for air to circulate now that the cumbersome OEM hard casing is gone. But Still I will try to do it right.
I sprayed the Head to Mani Gaskets with Copper Spray after I cleaned them with Carb Cleaner and let them air dry. They should work like new now.
Here is the old @#)*(^@% thats going back to Carson toyota next week when I get this LS started.
Im gonna go pick up the coolant bridge gaskets for $6.60 each tomorrow at Rockville Center Lexus. Like I said.. I thoughtt about spraying them sith copper spray, but I just dont wanna chance a water leak after I do all this work!
More details to come as I replace the remainder of the intake and vacuum lines etc etc.
Hopefully this has been educational and entertaining thus far.
Total install Time for actual starter: 10min!
Funny thing is bolting the starter back up was easier than taking it out. The two 14mm bolts threaded into starter much easier than I imagined. the driver side bolt i was able to thread all the way in by hand.
The pass side bolt under the EGR pipe was was pain as i had to use an open end 14mm wrench and give it 1/6" of a turns and by steadily flipping wrench around to get good angles for movement.
As you can see a Craftsman 14mm Open end 14mm wrench fit on the bolts nice and easy.
that fancy schmansy snap-on speed ratchet thing I paid $18 for makes a nice paperweight now.
I rewrapped the wires in a new plastic Wire loom and then tightly taped it several layers thick with good 3M electrical tape. I hope that will keep the heat out. I think if i can find some Cool-Tape locally I'll rewrap the loom. although there should be ample room for air to circulate now that the cumbersome OEM hard casing is gone. But Still I will try to do it right.
I sprayed the Head to Mani Gaskets with Copper Spray after I cleaned them with Carb Cleaner and let them air dry. They should work like new now.
Here is the old @#)*(^@% thats going back to Carson toyota next week when I get this LS started.
Im gonna go pick up the coolant bridge gaskets for $6.60 each tomorrow at Rockville Center Lexus. Like I said.. I thoughtt about spraying them sith copper spray, but I just dont wanna chance a water leak after I do all this work!
More details to come as I replace the remainder of the intake and vacuum lines etc etc.
Hopefully this has been educational and entertaining thus far.
otherthings I can't open your pictures could u send them to me at : amzoun2000@yahoo.com
somehow I can see th epicture all what I see in a red cross?
thanks
10-27-10, 10:15 PM
#55
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thanks
my email is : amzoun2000@yahoo.com
I am new at this forum so plz be patiente with me all .
10-30-10, 09:11 AM
#57
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some how I can't open or see your pictures posted is it possible to send them to me at :
amzoun2000@yahoo.com?
thanks
amzoun2000@yahoo.com?
thanks
06-12-11, 11:23 AM
#58
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99 LS 400 Starter Replacement
Just a quick note to say I visited this forum on this subject, got my father in law and proceeded to take the top half of the engine off to get to the starter. I printed pictures from the one generous poster that had a GS 400, carefully cataloged the removed parts and purchased the starter parts that would have repaired mine. Well......got the manifold off, exposed the starter (what a ridiculous location), only to find that it was bolted to the block from the firewall side, and no practical way of getting to the bolts. At that point, I called Lexus service here in town, they said "that's a hard job", and they told me they get to those bolts with ratchet & extensions through the transmission tunnel. That was enough for me. Up went the white flag. Had the car towed to the dealer and they cut me a $200.00 break for the dis-assembly.
My wife said Lexus Engineering/Designers must have said "no need to get to starter, starter never go bad!!" Harrrumph.
My wife said Lexus Engineering/Designers must have said "no need to get to starter, starter never go bad!!" Harrrumph.
01-19-13, 06:02 PM
#59
Driver School Candidate
I am doing this job right now... tough for sure... I did leave the coolant bridge and wiring on, found that my normal ratchet with the socket on it snaked down the back and popped the starter bolts loose, from there it took for ever to unwind them with a combo wrench but I did it. Starter is now back in, did not remove coolant bridge or wiring harness, and no special tools needed, some scratches and bruises though
In the first pic you see where my ratchet was for the passenger side bolt (re and re)
In the second pic you see where it was for the driver side bolt (re and re) note: I had to pull the EGR tube forward to fit my hand/arm back there
In the third pic you see my socket on the passenger side bolt... as you can see in this pic I did not remove the coolant bridge, it can be done
.[IMG]
[/IMG] [IMG]
[/IMG][IMG]
[/IMG]
In the first pic you see where my ratchet was for the passenger side bolt (re and re)
In the second pic you see where it was for the driver side bolt (re and re) note: I had to pull the EGR tube forward to fit my hand/arm back there
In the third pic you see my socket on the passenger side bolt... as you can see in this pic I did not remove the coolant bridge, it can be done
.[IMG]
[/IMG] [IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]
Last edited by AaronHall; 01-28-13 at 02:54 PM.
08-28-14, 01:23 PM
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Tag On To B. Diddy's Post
B. Diddy, I wish I had found your post before I called Lexus Dealership! They claim they drop the Transmissiion to get out the 2 bolts! I think that is BS! Anyway $529.00 plus $532.00 in parts! Anyway, you are right on! I did go ahead and remove the water coolant tower just above the 2 starter bolts! I did not drop the Transmission! I am going to try the tool you have suggested! Here are a few mistakes I made--The electrical connectors on fuel rails were really brittle and most of them broke--extra work and cost-I should have left everything connected! I have to replace the wiring harness going to both sides of the engine! The hoses in back of the Engine were all leaking--I tried getting the small hose off the right heater radiator pipe with a pair of spark plug wiring pliers--mangled the pipe--hopefully I can solder another on without getting hold of another alligator! Did one on 1962 Cadillac--complete dash and right front fender and front bumper had to come off! Anyway, Also broke the little green sending unit on front of engine( part of the 22 Emission System Circuits Sending Unit). Most of the Plastic or simulated parts on the engine either cracked or broke, so I have to replace those! When the engine was built they used RED Threadlock on everything! I broke off 1/;2 dozen bolts, I now have to Heli-Coil those! I have lost several wrenches down by the Firewall, maybe I will burn the car and find them, No, I love this car! It had over 300,000 on I when I bought it for $2,400.00 six years ago. I do put a piece of gray tape inside my wrenches and sockets so I don't loose the nuts or bolts! I also took pictures of each step so I get everything back in the right place. As you know, the only Lexus Manual is through the Dealership for $395.00 and they don't explain things in detail like you and I do! By, the way, something that is terrific for loosening bolts and gaskets--put some cheap white Vinegar in a spray bottle--shoot on only where you need it--never on rubber hoses or wiring. I am replacing complete starter and solenoid with a new one! Also, there are 2 sending units in bottom center of valley with wiring going between them, I am replacing them, too! I took out the radiator, and fan so I can stand in there and work. I am 69 years old and cannot lay out over the radiator or fenders very long! Thanks for your detailed post B. Diddy!